TK Audio BC1-S - Manual (Page 6)

BASS RIDING
Bass guitar can be a pretty tricky animal to harness. Often more coloured compression is
used, but due to the transparent nature of the BC1-S it can very effectively even out stray
notes that are played too loud or too soft without adding any pumping or distortion. The result
is a more coherent bass guitar that still sounds like a bass guitar. Similar settings can
effectively be used on bass synthesizers as well. Adjust the Threshold until 3 to 5dB of
compression is shown by the metering.
Threshold: 3 o´clock
Ratio: Hard
HFP: OFF (note that the high pass filter is deactivated)
Attack: 3 ms
Release: 300 ms
Make-up: 10 o’clock
Blend: Comp
PARALLEL COMPRESSION WITH THE BC1-S
Parallel compression is a great way of injecting more nerve and energy into a mix or
instrument, without affecting the transients or the overall sound too much. The trick is to make
the compressor work pretty hard - around 8 to 16dB on the meter - and blend the compressed
signal with the original sound. To get the best resolution set the Blend knob to Comp (the fully
clock wise position). Adjust the Make-up knob until the compressed signal sounds equally
loud or slightly louder than the original signal. Check by toggling the Comp In button. Then use
the Blend knob to set the proper amount of parallel compression, usually somewhere between
the fully counter wise position and 12 o’clock. Always toggle the Comp In button to compare it
with the original signal. Use the Straight Mute button to check the compressed signal without
altering the Blend control.
2 BUS WITH SOFT PUNCH PARALLEL COMPRESSION
There is a great way to add some energy without affecting the overall sound too much using
long attack time and auto release. Adjust the Threshold level until the compression meter
shows roughly 8dB of compression.
Threshold: 0 to -5 dB
Ratio: Hard
HFP: ON
Attack: 30 or 60 ms
Release: AUTO
Make-up: 9-11 o’clock
Blend: 9-12 o’clock